If you lived in Cameroon instead of Italy, you would:

Health

be 8.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Italy, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 20.0 years less

In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 14.7% more likely to be obese

In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 95.1% less spent on your healthcare

Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 96.8% fewer doctors per person

Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 47.6% less access to essential health services

Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 21.6% more likely to die by suicide

Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 43.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 87.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.7% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 95.4% less money

Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 5.3 times more children

In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cameroon, there are 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 43.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cameroon, 258.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 27.0% less likely to be literate

In Italy, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2019. In Cameroon, it is 72.5% as of 2018.

View global rankings →

be 17.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Italy, approximately 2.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Cameroon, on the other hand, 40.2 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 28.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Italy, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 72% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 48.2% less likely to have internet access

In Italy, approximately 89.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 28.5% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Italy, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 71% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 30.2% less on education

Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 46.1% less on healthcare

Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 94.7% less coastline

Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 11.9 times more likely to be murdered

Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 94.8% less strain on fresh water

Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 93.3% less home broadband

Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 95.6% less electricity

Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 93.1% less CO2

Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 6.7 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Cameroon: At a glance

Cameroon is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 472,710 sq km. French Cameroon became independent in 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon. The following year the southern portion of neighboring British Cameroon voted to merge with the new country to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. In 1972, a new constitution replaced the federation with a unitary state, the United Republic of Cameroon. The country has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.
Read more

How big is Cameroon compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Cameroon or Italy. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.